Keeping in Touch!

Being away from your lifelong mates can be tricky, and its hard to find the balance at times between living it up at uni and still staying in contact with your pals. Its good to have a strong support network for when you’re feeling lonely, homesick, or just need a bit of a boost, so make the best of both worlds with these lil tips on how to stay in contact with your ‘home’ friends!

1) Make a ‘when you miss me’ box

Do you have that one best friend, the sister from another mister, brother from another mother, that you can’t live without? I did, and I know it can be difficult having to part ways at the end of sixth form and move to the other side of the country.

My bestie and I agreed to make each other ‘when I miss you’ boxes to take to uni with us, made to be opened when we feel lonely or down. Mine included pictures of fun times we’ve had, a few handwritten letters, drawings, and things that reminded us of our little inside jokes. There may have been a few chocolate bars and some liquid confidence in there as well.

It helped us remember the adventures we’ve had together, and that moving somewhere else doesn’t mean we have to lose touch with each other.

2) Invite them to come and stay

Although I only moved a train ride away from home, it’s still a brand-new city that most of my friends have never been to before. Once I had settled in and found some nice restaurants and bars, I was the perfect opportunity for my mates to visit so we could test them all out together.

Turns out they loved it, especially the chance to use my student discount card. I made them feel welcome by showing them around and explaining how everything works. Even my friends that took gap years liked it because it gave them a chance to experience uni life without the commitment, and helped them to choose the best uni’s for them.

3) Catch up over coffee or beer

All friends can be invited out either for a coffee or a beer. And it’s good to remember to see people one-on-one to keep the bond strong.

I’ve got two school friends who I always meet up with for a ‘café crawl’, where we just get caffeinated and high on sugar. It gives us hours to catch up, and we get to stay cosy.

4) Use your holidays to organise a reunion

Rather meet friends in a group? University holidays are long and there’s bound to be at least a few days where you’re all off at the same time. Organise an outing - go to a karaoke bar, a pub, or just the park - and reminisce about being in school, however make sure that isn’t all you talk about (you don’t want to get stuck in the past!).

Don’t be afraid to suggest the idea either. People usually want to reunite, they’re just afraid of being the one to suggest the idea.

5) Create a Facebook group or chat

My friends from school and I decided to keep in touch by posting in a group we had made on facebook, updating each other on our lives, making original memes, and generally having a laugh.

It’s a good way of organising meet ups and making people feel a bit less alone when they’re at uni.